Method of withdrawing fibers from a combing roller of a fiber separating device and device for performing said method

ABSTRACT

In a spinning unit comprising a fiber separating device and a spinning device, fibers are separated by withdrawing the fibers from a combing roller of the fiber separating device by a pressure air stream, directed tangentially to the working surface of the combing roller and conveying the fibers to a sliding wall of the rotary spinning chamber.

United States Patent 1 91 Chrtek et a].

METHOD OF WITHDRAWING FIBERS FROM A COMBING ROLLER OF A FIBER SEPARATING DEVICE AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING SAID METHOD Inventors: -Milan Chrtek,. Ceska Trebova; Ctibor Doudlebs'ky; ,Stanislav Kabele, both of Usti Orlici, all of Czechoslovakia Vyzkumny ustav bavlnarsky, Usti n/Orl, Czechoslovakia Filed: Sept. 10, 1910 Appl. No.: 71,004

Assignee:

- Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 16, 1969 Czechoslovakia; ..626l/69 US. Cl ..57/58.95

111 C1.'... ..D0111 1/12, DOlh 11/00 F1610 tit-search..;..'.,....57/5s'.89, 58.95, 34 R, 36

111'] 3,712,042 1' Jan. 23, 1973 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,368,340 2/1968 Barsukov et al ..57/5s.s9 3,501,907 3/1970 I Tabata et al ..57/58.89 X 3,247,551 I 4/1966 Whitehurst ..57/36 x 3,469,385 9/1969 Tsuzuki .57/34 R 3,481,129 12/1969 Shepherd et al .57/58.95 x 3,335,558 8/1967 Doudlebsky et al ..57/58.95

Primary ExaminerDonald E. Watkins Attorney-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT In a spinning unit comprising a fiber separating device and a spinning device, fibers are separated by withdrawing the fibers from a combing roller of the fiber separating device by a pressure air stream, directed tangentially to the working surface of the combing roller and conveying the fibers to a sliding wall of the rotary spinning chamber.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN23 I975 3,712,042

SHEET 1 OF 3 W 1 if; I 5 $9 INVENTORQ mm 6 IN! BY Tia :7 smumw Mb! PA'TENTED JAN 23 I973 SHEET 3 [IF 3 INVENTOR INA! mam-M METHOD OF WITHDRAWING FIBERS FROM A COMBING ROLLER OF A FIBER SEPARATING DEVICE AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING SAID METHOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various devices are known for withdrawing and feeding fibers into spinning chambers. These devices, however, operate in most cases on the principle of a suction effect, which is exerted either by an element firmly connected to the rotary spinning chamber or an outer underpressure source mounted behind the spinning unit, the spinning unit thus being always situated on the suction side, i.e. the underpressure side of the underpressure source.

A device with an internal underpressure source has the disadvantage that the pneumatic conditions cannot be easily controlled and that an underpressure is present in the whole system of the spinning unit, this causing consequently the aspiration of impurities, fiber fly, dust etc. which are thus spun into the yarn, reducing thereby its quality. Furthermore, losses are caused, which reduce the economy of spinning, and moreover,

there is no possibility of modifying the pneumatic conditions acting upon the yarn increment just spun.

Devices with an external underpressure source mounted behind the spinning unit permit the control of certain pneumatic. conditions, e.g. the quantity of air, but an underpressure remains in the system of the spinning unit, causing the disadvantages already mentioned above.

Other solutions for this problem have also been suggested, proposing to withdraw fibers from the lining of the combing element by the use of air circulated by a fan, which is firmly connected with the rotary spinning chamber. The air escaping from the fan is again fed into the space in which fibers are separated from the sliver by the lining of the combing element, or it is fed into the inlet opening of a rectilinear channel. Both modifications aiming to solve this problem have a number of disadvantages and cannot be used in practice. These disadvantages include eg that the circulating air is constantly heated on the one hand by the compression effect exerted by the fan and on the other hand by contact with the walls of the channels, through which said air passes and in which it receives heat generated by friction in the bearings of the chamber spindle and the combing element, said heat being spread through both bodies of the spinning chamber. Contrary to what might be assumed, the aspirated air thus does not act to permanently cool the spinning unit.

Moreover, in this arrangement a much more intensive accumulation of impurities can be observed in the spinning chamber, because all impurities cannot be withdrawn into the withdrawing channel by the circulating air. Also, it is not possible to control the pneumatic conditions as far as quantity, pressure, humidity, purity, etc. are concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a fiber separating device capable of producing a spun yarn which is free of impurities to a high degree.

It is another object to establish for the spinning unit constant spinning conditions.

It is still another object to condition the air stream which entrains the separated fibers, and to control its quantity and pressure.

Bearing these and other objects in mind, we provide a spinning unit comprising a fiber separating device with a combing roller and a spinning device with a rotary spinning chamber, where the fibers are withdrawn from the combing roller by a pressure air stream directed substantially tangentially to the working. surface of the combing roller. I

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS An exemplary embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, of which FIG. 1 represents a spinning unit in axial section, connected to a pressure air source;

FIG. 2 shows the connection of spinning units to a common control element;

FIG. 3 represents one control element being arranged before a group of spinning units;

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement in which each spinning unit is provided with an independent control element.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The spinning unit of the spinning machine consists of a fiber separating device I and a spinning device 2. The fiber separating device is constituted by a carrier body 11, in which in a known manner are arranged a combing roller 12 and a feeding roller 13 for feeding sliver 3 to the working surface of combing roller 12. The driving of the feeding roller 13 and the combing roller 12 is performed in aknown manner, e.g. through a belt extending along the machine, such belt not being shown in FIG. I. The fiber separating device 1 is further provided with a withdrawing channel 4 which is arranged at least approximately tangential to the working surface, i.e. the cylindrical surface of combing roller 12 and whose inner open end is directed at the sliding wall 26 of spinning chamber 23. In its inlet portion the withdrawing channel 14 is connected to a connecting channel 4 and a source of compressed air 5.

In the connecting channel 4, between the withdrawing channel 14 and the source 5, an air conditioning device 6 can advantageously be arranged for suitable conditioning of pressure the compressed air which is used for withdrawing the fibers from the working surface of a combing roller 12 and conveying them to the sliding wall 26 ofspinning chamber 23.

The air conditioning device adjusts above all the temperature and the relative air humidity, and in certain cases also its chemical composition, according to the kind of material being processed, in order to achieve for each material optimum air properties and thus optimum conditions for spinning fibers into yarn.

The connecting channel 4 is also advantageously provided with a control element 7 upstream of its communication with the withdrawing channel 14.

The control element 7 is either common to all fiber separating devices 1 in the spinning machine, or controls a group of fiber separating devices 1, in which latter case several control elements 7 are arranged on the spinning machine. In an embodiment which is particularly advantageous from the technological viewpoint, one control element 7 is provided for each fiber separating device 1.

The spinning device 2 is connected to the fiber separating device 1 and consists of a covering body 21, in which there is rotatably mounted an overpressure spinning chamber 23 by bearings 22 engaging its shaft 24, which latter is provided at the end projecting from the covering body 21 with a pulley. 25 for driving by a not shown belt. The spinning chamber 23 is of known construction, i.e. from an inlet opening which is engaged by carrier body 11 with the outlet of the withdrawing channel 14, the sliding wall 26 extends conically as far as the collecting surface 27, on which the separated fibers are laid. The spinning chamber 23 is of the overpressure type, i.e. it is not provided with the ventilation openings, which are otherwise needed for creating an underpressure. For the withdrawal of the pressure air, said spinning chamber 23 is provided with a withdrawing opening 28, e.g. in the axis of shaft 24, or this withdrawing opening 28, or several such openings can be arranged in the carrying wall 29 of the spinning chamber 23 as shown in FIG. 1. In that case, a withdrawing opening 211 must be made in the covering body 21, as shown in dashed lines. Below the spinning unit are mounted withdrawing rollers 8 and the distributing cylinder 9 with bobbin 10, onto which the produced yarn 31 is wound.

Below the spinning unit, an ejector 32 is shown, which is used for spinning in yarn 31 upon its breakage and can be mounted directly in the carrier body 11. The ejector 32 is connected by the feeding channel 41 to a source of pressurized air through valve 42 which is controlled by a not shown control device.

The spinning unit works as follows:

Sliver 3 is fed by the feeding roller 13 to the working surface of combing roller 12, which separates the fibers from said sliver 3 and conveys them into the withdrawing channel 14, in which said fibers are withdrawn from the working surface of the combing roller 12 by a flow of pressurized air, which is directed substantially tangential to the withdrawing point. The said fibers are further conveyed to the sliding wall 26 of spinning chamber 23 where they are directed by the centrifugal force resulting from rotation of spinning chamber 23, to the collecting surface 27. The pressure air escapes after fulfilling its function, through the withdrawing opening 28. Pressure air is supplied in source 5 and passes. advantageously through the air conditioning device 6, in order to achieve constant pneumatic conditions, and further through control element 7 for controlling the requisite air pressure and the velocity of its flow. This control is advantageous in view of an eventual change of material to be spun, e.g. replacing cotton by wool or other material, or in view of a change of staple lengths etc. After the end of yarn 31 is introduced through ejector 32 into spinning chamber 23 and settles on the collecting surface 27, the fibers on the surface 27 become wrapped in a known manner and converted into further increments of yarn 3l, which is withdrawn by withdrawing rollers 8 and IS wound onto bobbin 10 by means of the distributing cylinder 9.

The advantage of the specified method and device resides in making it possible to achieve constant spinning conditions.

We claim:

1. In a method of spinning fibers in a rotary spinning chamber, the steps of rotating a spinning chamber having an open side about an axis; rotating adjacent said open side a fiber-combing roller having a circumferential working surface; feeding fibers onto said working surface for engagement and entrainment thereby; and directing a stream of pressurized air substantially tangentially over said working surface for separating the entrained fibers therefrom, and thence with the separated fibers through said open side into the rotating spinning chamber.

2. In a method as defined in claim 1, the further step of conditioning the air of said stream of pressurized air prior to directing it over said working surface.

3. In a method as defined in claim 1, the further step of adjusting the quantity and pressure of said stream of pressurized air prior to directing it over said working surface.

4. In a fiber-spinning apparatus, in combination, a rotary spinning chamber having an open side; a rotary fiber-combing roller adjacent said open side and having a circumferential working surface adapted to receive and entrain fibers to be spun in said spinning chamber; passage means extending tangentially of said working surface in communication therewith and having an inlet and an outlet within said open side; and compressed air supply means communicating with said inlet and directing through said passage means a stream of compressed air for entraining fibers from said working surface and inserting the thus entrained fibers through said open side into said rotary spinning chamber.

5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4; and further comprising conditioning means for conditioning said compressed air intermediate said supply means and said fiber-combing roller.

6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4; and further comprising control means for controlling the flow conditions of said stream of compressed air. 

1. In a method of spinning fibers in a rotary spinning chamber, the steps of rotating a spinning chamber having an open side about an axis; rotating adjacent said open side a fiber-combing roller having a circumferential working surface; feeding fibers onto said working surface for engagement and entrainment thereby; and directing a stream of pressurized air substantially tangentially over said working surface for separating the entrained fibers therefrom, and thence with the separated fibers through said open side into the rotating spinning chamber.
 2. In a method as defined in claim 1, the further step of conditioning the air of said stream of pressurized air prior to directing it over said working surface.
 3. In a method as defined in claim 1, the further step of adjusting the quantity and pressure of said stream of pressurized air prior to directing it over said working surface.
 4. In a fiber-spinning apparatus, in combination, a rotary spinning chamber having an open side; a rotary fiber-combing roller adjacent said open side and having a circumferential working surface adapted to receive and entrain fibers to be spun in said spinning chamber; passage means extending tangentially of said working surface in communication therewith and having an inlet and an outlet within said open side; and compressed air supply means communicating with said inlet and directing through said passage means a stream of compressed air for entraining fibers from said working surface and inserting the thus entrained fibers through said open side into said rotary spinning chamber.
 5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4; and further comprising conditioning means for conditioning said compressed air intermediate said supply means and said fiber-combing roller.
 6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4; and further comprising control means for controlling the flow conditions of said stream of compressed air. 